Ukraine’s Land Forces Commander Announces Resignation
(MENAFN) The commander leading Ukraine’s Land Forces, Mikhail Drapaty, has stepped down, accepting responsibility for the fatal losses suffered by Ukrainian troops during consecutive attacks on a military training facility.
On Sunday, a Russian strike resulted in the deaths of at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers and injuries to 60 others, according to a Ukrainian broadcaster. While Kiev withheld the exact location, the broadcaster sources suggest the incident occurred near the Novomoskovsky training ground in Dnepropetrovsk Region.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that it targeted a tent camp at the Novomoskovsky site on Sunday, striking units from the 158th Separate Mechanized Brigade (SMB) and the 33rd SMB of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
In a social media announcement on Saturday, Drapaty declared, “I have decided to submit a report on my resignation from the post of Commander of the Land Forces of the AFU.”
He explained, “This is a conscious step dictated by my personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy at the 239th training ground, as a result of which our soldiers died.”
Drapaty emphasized the need for systemic change, stating, “We have no right to live in a system that does not learn. If we do not draw conclusions, do not change our attitude to service, do not admit our mistakes, we are doomed.” He also confirmed that an investigation into the incident at the training ground has been launched.
Earlier, in March, the Russian Defense Ministry reported striking the same facility with an Iskander-M missile, killing up to 150 Ukrainian service members and 30 foreign military instructors. Following that attack, Drapaty criticized “outdated procedures” and negligence within the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Corruption remains a deep-rooted challenge within Ukraine’s defense sector, impacting everything from munitions and food logistics to the misappropriation of funds intended for defensive structures.
The previous month, Ukraine’s Security Service announced the arrest of multiple military officials implicated in a corruption scheme involving approximately 120,000 defective mortar shells supplied to Kiev’s armed forces.
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